Lies Entwined
by laugh4life
Summary: Set in season 2. What happens when Elena turns into a vampire because John's sacrifice didn't work? Which brother will she choose? And who is the mysterious girl that comes sauntering into the town only a few days later?
1. Chapter 1

**May 2, 2010 - Elena's POV**

Unconsciousness swept over me a few seconds after Klaus first sank his disgusting teeth into my neck, draining the life out of me.

The eerie glowing and the shadows cast from the licking fires that stood nearby danced in my vision. In moments, I had felt weaker than ever in my life and my eyelids began to droop in defeat as Klaus grew stronger. My senses dimmed; I could barely hear Stefan scream 'no,' and the smell of the burning blood that had filled my nostrils only a moment ago soon faded into the background.

My eyelids grow heavy. My limbs quickly become slack and I can disgustingly feel Klaus sucking another pint of my life source from my body, another pint of my precious blood.

The fire, Stefan and all the surroundings begin to blur in my vision as my eyes flutter closed.

All sound is cut off, all smells soon fade, all senses are dulled and useless. The last thing I am conscious of is Stefan's last torturous scream of misery for my sake, and then blackness takes over, pulling me from the world of the living.

Goodbye.

/./..././

_"I just need to say something," He began. Darkness seeped into her memories, engulfing all that stood around Damon, but leaving him in clear focus._

_Elena had a sharp intake of breath when he took a step towards her. "Why do you need to say it with my necklace?"_

_He looked confused for a moment, his lips puckering like his words were trying to fight their way past them, and he blinked hard before saying, "Well...because, what I'm about to say is probably the most selfish thing I've said in my whole life."_

_She knew where this was headed, and she took a step back, giving Damon a stern look and saying, "Damon, don't go there."_

_"I just need to say it once," He pleaded, closing the distance between them to a mere three inches. She was holding her breath as she looked up at him, stiff as a board. "You just need to hear it."_

_Oh, she did not like where this was going. It opened up emotions, options and ideas that she didn't want to deal with in her lifetime, let alone during all of this confusion with all of the different troubles going on now! And who was to say that Elena didn't also love him? What if she did? What if she didn't? If she did, would she be where Katherine had been back in 1864? Stealing love from both brothers, toying with their emotions, making them later regret that they'd had any connection with her at all? No, Elena didn't want that. She never wanted to be like Katherine, she never wanted to follow in her ancestor's unwise footsteps._

_"I love you, Elena," He stated, finally admitting what he'd been wanting to say for the past year. "And it's because I love you... that I can't be selfish with you, why you can't know this. I don't deserve you. But my brother does."_

_His hand reached up, his fingertips resting by her ear as his thumb stroked her cheekbone. "God I wish you didn't have to forget this..."_

_She looked up at him with sympathy and remorse, confusion clouding her wide fawn-like eyes, shaking her head only slightly as he finished, "But you do."_

_Quickly, Damon compelled her, telling her that she would forget the conversation, despite how much it saddened Damon, and that the return of her necklace would be a mystery._

_Then, without another glance back, Damon zoomed out of the bedroom, leaving her curtains to flutter in the wind coming from the open window like nothing had ever happened. At the time, it had seemed like everything was normal and right in the world. _

_But a feeling of dread remained even after Damon compelled her, leaving Elena with a feeling of sadness and desire that had an apparently unknown cause._

_/./..././_

I remember.

Could Damon, strong and unbreakable Damon, really have admitted and confessed all of that to me at one point?

The way the memory surfaced, in third person, was odd, since I saw myself in that little room that I've known since a baby, and I saw Damon looking at me with such a loving look that it took my breath away. It shocks me, as I am on the verge of becoming conscious once again.

This memory that had been pushed down for so long changes everything. It changes the ideas that I have had of Damon. It changes the way that I will look at him. It could even change the way that I look at Stefan, too.

Still. It was just one memory, wasn't it?

So it shouldn't do any harm.

Eventually voices arise as I lay unmoving and still.

"Did it work?" Inwardly, I smile when hearing Stefan speak.

Damon replies, "I- I'm not quite sure." He sighs heavily, an undeniable emotion filling his voice when he continues, "She's awake. Alive. She's breathing normally now!"

"But... Damon. Think about it," Stefan counters, "Why do you think it took her the whole night to finally wake? Why did it not just take a few hours, like Bonnie's spell had promised? Add this long night with the blood that you fed her and viola! There you go. A-"

"Vampire," Damon whispers, almost inaudibly.

I can hear the frown in his voice as he refuses to believe Stefan's rational ideas, "But she can't be! Bonnie's spell should have worked; John should be dead and Elena should be human!" His voice grows louder as he grows angrier.

Silently, I frown into the hazy situation as my mind awakens from my sleeping zone. I had never noticed it before, but Damon's so cute when he's sad and angry. But it's so upsetting at the same time!

I'm so glad that Stefan and Damon made it back alive after that dreadful battle with Klaus. I wonder if they won? If they... No, I can't think that way. It's not an option right now. I cannot let tears spill for I am currently immobilized.

And, oh, Bonnie! I wonder if she's okay. If she's even alive. I still cannot believe that she gave up her life for mine and Stefan's and Damon's and Jeremy's and Alaric's and John's and Caroline's and Tyler's and Matt's and... even Katherine's. Even though I would become a vampire, a creature that Bonnie finds repulsing, my best friend would care enough to freely give up her life, use her powers and disobey the oldest of witches, all so that she could save our friends, family and so that Klaus could finally be killed. That's an awful lot to give up.

And Caroline. Oh, shit, Care's going to be so pissed when she hears about how Stefan and Damon killed Klaus! Or, at least, how I assume they did. She's going to be so upset that she missed all the action. Caroline; Caroline's an in-action type of girl. She likes to see it firsthand so that when she whips out her phone, the firsthand gossip is correct and out there for everyone in cyberspace to see!

Or that's how she used to be. Now she's much more sensitive to feelings and all, which undoubtedly makes her a great friend - not better, not worse, just different - and definitely increased her overprotective trait.

And who else could possibly fill in for my brother other than Jeremy? Jeremy, my sweet and brave little brother. He's been so calm through all of this craziness lately. I wonder why. I know that it couldn't be easy; after Anna and Vicki both dying as vampires, it couldn't be easy to have to grasp the fact that your sister would become one. It couldn't be easy to grasp the fact that your girlfriend may die because of her outstanding witch abilities. It also couldn't be easy to try to realize the fact that your aunt died for some sick sacrifice to turn a vampire into a true hybrid; heck, I know what that feels like, and let me tell you, it's downright terrifying and heartbreaking. And on top of all of this, we've also lost our true parents; his birth parents and my childhood parents.

Family. John. What to say about the dad who began as my uncle, progressed into an enemy, unveiled that he was truly my father, went behind my back, and currently claims to be protecting me? There's not much, actually. Sure, he's an ass. Maybe even a bigger one than good-intentioned Damon. But John also is my true father, and since the accident what have I longed for most? A father. And here he is, magically shown up and prepped, trying out to fit in the role of someone who's supposed to take care of me, keep me from danger and prepare me for the dangers of the outside world all while giving the child complete happiness. And yet... And yet he can't ever fit this role. For as much as he tries to accept the love of my life, he also cannot put the past behind him. He won't accept Stefan for his true and kind nature. John won't look past Stefan's outer appearance and even try to see what a good person he truly is. And for this reason, I can't truly accept John as my father. But he will always be my funny and caring uncle. That I can promise.

Another person: Alaric. Poor Ric; his first lover voluntarily died and left him, the second got her life stolen away? What a sad and tragic ending to each of the relationships. I feel really bad for him; I can truly sympathize with his pain, for even though I loved Jenna in a different way, I'm sure that I'm as hurt as he is. And who's to judge if he sits drinking for the rest of his life? We all brought this impending doom upon him; Damon drew Isobel away from Ric and turned her, and the rest of us all obliviously put Jenna right in Klaus's hands. It is truly tragic.

Finally. Stefan and Damon. And Katherine too, of course. What do we do? Where do we all go from here? I know for a fact that Katherine tells the truth; she's here for Stefan, no doubt about it. I can see through that facade that she performs for everyone, which she's been performing for the last 400 years at least. She's here for _my_ Stefan. And I'm not going to go down without a fight.

Katherine seems to think that I love Damon. Just like she did at one point. And maybe she's right to think so. Or maybe she's not. But either way, he's out in the cold right now. I'm fighting for Stefan against this bitch who might be my almost-friend, but even so, I won't give up the love of my life for someone who's lied, manipulated, cheated, mistreated, hated, sacrificed, and betrayed as much as she has. No, it just won't happen in this lifetime.

"Vampire." Damon repeats, dragging my now-alert mind from the wave of memories that crash down upon me.

Stefan sighs, and I can just imagine him rubbing his neck with his right hand, frustrated as to why I won't wake and why I appear to be inattentive when he, my true and glorious love, speaks.

"Yes. Damon, we've already talked through your idiotic and selfless actions, remember? So don't keep repeating what we already know."

A loud boom and the shattering of glass shake me from the deep, dream-like state that I rested in. Assuming that Damon threw his bourbon glass that he always drinks from across the wide room, I pause in between breaths, shaken and afraid for what will come next.

"Don't you dare talk back to me, Stefan. I'm still stronger than you, you pathetic, weak child," Damon scoffs, "You'll eat sweet little bunnies and tiny nibbling chipmunks as soon as you're done here, so you can power up to try to take on your own big, stronger, healthier, smarter brother? Well it's never going to happen. Did you ever tell Elena about that person you drained just last week? What about little Susie from down her street? Declared missing - ha! What a lie!"

Breath held, I wait in anticipation for one of them to blow first. This time, though, it isn't one of them blowing things out of proportion first - it's both of them.

Stefan hisses, "Damn it, Damon! She may be able to hear, you know! And she never loved, or will love you, so don't flatter yourself!"

This, of course, was the last straw for him. Pieces of wood rain down atop of my unmoving and cramped body when a fist pummels the house's structure in anger. "Don't you go around talking about love, Stefan. 'Cause last time I checked, you weren't holding up your end of the deal with Elena."

At last. Feeling the very last wakefulness seep into my soul and body, feeling my mind begins to reawaken from this state of dreariness. My eyelashes twitch ever so slightly. Oxygen fills my lungs as I breathe deeply in and out, quite soundlessly.

Finally, after my eyelashes flutter open into the world of the living, I allow my eyes time to adjust to the bright, amplified senses and sights that surround me. Before now in my life, any other time my eyes were open or my ears were listening, the sights, sounds, smells, feelings... all of it was incomparably dull to this electrified world.

Mind suddenly overactive, I agilely spring to my feet in awareness of all around me. Instinct guides me as a crouch down behind the fluffy red velvet chair, not yet noticed by either of the brothers in the room, as they are the only people in it at this time.

When Stefan slams Damon roughly against the wall, I feel the need to step in. It would be too much pain for me to bear if one or the other of them get hurt... It would be heartbreaking to see them tear at each other after getting along so nicely for this almost-full-year that I've known them.

"Stefan! Damon!" My voice wavers slightly as I softly but urgently call their names, each name having much emphasis and force behind it.

Startled, the two forget momentarily what they are doing and glance at me, astounded that I'm alive and well. But their pause has alerted me of the position that they're in. Stefan has a make-shift stake poised in mid-air over Damon's back, and Damon has a sharp table leg tilted upward toward Stefan's heart from the front, both of them ready for the final kill. Did my so-called death really break up their alliance enough that they would automatically try to kill each other over me?

Damon is the first to overcome the momentary stupor and disbelievingly stare at me with his beautiful icy blue eyes, asking me silently to forgive him. As an attempt to break out of the killing mode that the brothers were in, Stefan simpers like a child caught red-handed, breaking the penetrating silence and asking:

"E- Elena?"

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**Thank you so much for reading!**

**Thoughts? :)**


	2. Chapter 2

_Previously: Elena woke up from death, heard the brothers fighting and snuck behind them, the brothers both unaware and unsuspecting that Elena would come out from hiding and say their names, surprising and relieving them. Stefan simpers: "E- Elena?"_

**May 2, 2010 - Elena's POV**

"Elena!" Damon repeats, unable to do anything else.

A wide and undeniably heart-warming smile lights up Damon's handsome features. It says everything; the shock, the anger, the happiness, the despair, the heart-breaking realization and the irrevocable love that he has for me. Finally I feel at home as a grin creeps up onto my own face; I cannot help it, for his ecstatic outburst made my heart lift and my spirit soar.

And so we grin at each other, just like that. Neither of us moving forward, but neither of us moving away either. We stare happily at each other until Stefan coughs, alerting me that he is there. How could I have forgotten him for Damon?

Guilt automatically clogs my thoughts and I start toward Stefan, who has dropped the stake, and before I can do the same, he quickly rushes closer. I shiver as his hand pulls my hair back behind my ear as his eyes gaze lovingly into mine, warm and happy.

"Hi." I whisper, looking up at him through my long brown eyelashes with concern. All I want is to kiss that mouth and forget everything, forget that he almost killed his brother, and that he himself almost got killed, too.

But I refuse to go along with this. They were just going to kill each other, and so they both forget when I appear, alive and well? No, that's not the way it'll work.

And so I glance shortly at Damon, overcome with regret and sadness that he's always left in the dark when a good happening occurs; he's the outsider, the one that I shy away from and because of that automatically run to Stefan instead.

His smile visibly droops at my automatic reach for Stefan and remorse easily creeps inside of me. So much for making both my men happy.

**May 2, 2010 - Spring - Katherine's POV**

"Hello handsome. Goodbye handsome." I whisper, sinking my teeth into some random homeless guy. Who cares who I drain? It's not like anyone knows this wanna-be anyway, so what should it matter?

It's been a few days that I've been free of Klaus' compulsion Alaric's apartment. But I won't believe that Klaus is finished with me; he is too angry and revengeful a person to just let someone who's done as much as I go for nothing. No, he'll surely be back for me. It's just a matter of time.

Finally my hunger is sated and I can pay attention to the matter at hand: winning Stefan back and getting rid of that damned Elena.

Mystic Falls has always been a town of the impossible; a town that lives on through the hard times, the difficult times and always succeeds in making it to the end without many battle wounds. Thus, it is the best place for a new battle; a battle to win back Stefan. Wherever my love is, that is where my home, my true home, lies.

"Lady? What're ya doin'?"

Turning to find a drunken man swaying in the dark alleyway, I give a shrug and drain him also. He wore a decent coat that I can use and after a quick search through his pockets, I find a hundred and fifty dollars. Bingo.

Able to hide behind the large coat, I step out into the rushing streets of New York. At three o'clock in the morning, the streets are still fairly busy, cars speeding across the famous roads, buses and taxis calling from every direction for riders.

Carefully, I slip to the left side and begin walking, taking care to hide my face under the large hood. The noise is bothersome but it holds a rhythm. And the rhythm urges me on, keeps my feet stepping one in front of the other, to my final destination.

_Hold on Stefan, your love is coming. Katherine Pierce is coming home to you._

**May 3, 2010 - Elena's POV**

Suddenly, this gooey reunion of the three of us is too much for me to handle. I have to do something to break this saddening atmosphere.

"Hello again." Feeling cocky, I give a sly smile to both of the boys and step away from Stefan's warm embrace, slowly crossing the room to lean against the tan couch.

Damon and Stefan stand frozen in place until Damon says, "You are. Dammit, you are!"

"I am what? A vampire? Duh. And you are trying to kill each other? Smart move. You know, you both are so hot when you're infuriated. I should consider dating both of you, if you don't kill each other first." I smirk, my brown eyes sparkling dangerously.

_Hmm, that was a bit mean. But they needed it. I mean, they were trying to kill each other, for God's sake!_

"What happened?" Stefan murmurs cautiously, his green eyes showing hurt and obvious confusion. I don't answer, playing it dangerously, angering the brothers even more with my silence.

In one swift stride, Stefan crosses the room and grabs my shoulders, shaking me back and forth, his eyes angry and blaming, "Elena, stop this, right now! What's gotten into you?" His voice softens at the end, melting my heart enough that I almost stop the charade that I put on and decide to let the truth out. Almost, but not quite.

"Oh, you know. I died and came back to life realizing that my lovers were going to kill each other. Nothing much." I smirk, hiding my true feelings of sadness, despair and love that I have.

This statement put both the brothers over the edge. Stefan's pale fingertips twitch with irritation and so does Damon's eyebrow before they dive for me as a team. Quick as lightening, I dash away from the spot that I stood moments before, letting them tear into the leather couch and having it break their fall.

"Hard to catch now, aren't I? It'll be that way for a while... unless you have the guts to kill me. Can you even do that? No, I think not. You two have been so soft for me since you met me in the beginning of this year that it'd be hard for you to even stab me with Vervain." I taunt, a rude little smile playing upon my lips.

"Elena." Damon pleads, his voice startlingly soft and begging.

It almost makes me stop this game of fun - almost. Them killing each other is worse than what I'm doing to them now. If they could only see it my way.

"No. So, now what? I'm alive, Klaus is dead..."

"Not quite." Stefan interrupts, shocking me enough that I stop my little charade.

"Wait, what?" My voice falters as I lightly laugh, hoping that I had somehow misheard him.

"I said that we didn't quite kill Klaus. We were going to, of course, but Elijah hesitated after Klaus told him that he didn't bury their family at sea; that they were hidden safely somewhere. And so he ran away with his brother, both of them escaping."

"And Bonnie?"

"Bonnie's fine. Worn out, but fine otherwise. Look, Elena, I'm sorry that this didn't work out. That you and Jenna and Jules had to die for this. But we'll keep try-"

"- Enough of that," I snap. "Don't distract me. You two were going to put the other to death!" I accuse, my eyes slanting dangerously with madness.

"Come on, 'Lena! It was only a bit of fun..." Damon grins cockily, saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Stefan shoots him a look and he quickly shuts up but the childish pouting and playful look still lingers.

"Can't we just overlook that? Please?" Stefan begs. He shoots another look to Damon, "It was a misunderstanding; we didn't really mean it."

"You just keep on saying that... Fine, I'll let it go. For now." I look them both squarely in the eyes. Their shoulders relax as the tension goes away with my words.

Trying to replenish that facade of rudeness and air of importance, I say:

"So, other than Klaus magically escaping our slack grip, what else is new? Besides that I'm a vampire, of course."

When Stefan makes no attempt to speak up, Damon steps in, saying, "For one, I have a werewolf bite."

"A what?" I'm sure I heard him wrong this time.

"Just what I said: a werewolf bite. Yes, Elena, the poisonous kind that kills vampires. Good, isn't it, that you won't have to deal with me for much longer? I'll be out of your hair just as soon as the writhing pain fades away; I'll be dead." Damon's voice is bitter as he confirms that he in fact has an expiration date.

"How?" I venture cautiously, aware that Stefan is in the room; there's no way that I'm going to show that I care for Damon with him there.

"Tyler. I tried saving his and Caroline's asses and this is what I get. One nice thing and death pounces."

"Serves you right. You're always so mean to everyone you meet, Damon. Death will do you good, I'm sure. How about you stay out of my hair until then, hmm?" I coldly say, not stopping to regret how rude it sounds.

Suddenly, a more than familiar voice speaks, startling the three of us and causing heads to turn.

"Now that sounds more like me than you, Elena."

Katherine is back.

Why now, the worst time possible, instead of any other time? Oh, shit, this won't turn out good.


	3. Chapter 3

_Previously: __Katherine returned to Mystic Falls and watched the whole ordeal; Elena, Stefan and Damon have a face-off and Damon blurts out that they didn't defeat Klaus and that he also has a deadly werewolf bite. Elena gets cold and says he deserves it and then Katherine interrupts from her hidden spot above them all, surprising them._

**May 3, 2010 - Katherine's POV**

"Oh, scared to speak, I see. Well, let me do it for you. This is a nice surprise, seeing you all."

"Shut the hell up, Katherine. Nothing you say is worth it." Stefan says tiredly, annoyed.

"Ooh, bitchy now, are we, Stefan?" I smile threateningly.

I survey the scene with inward contentedness. The coffee table is turned over, the tan couch shredded, glass broken across the wooden floor, draperies in a pile on the floor, and wood chips and glass are splayed throughout the room.

Stefan's nice light green shirt has a tiny rip in the right hand sleeve, though his jeans are unharmed. Elena's blue shirt and grey jacket, as well as her dark-washed jeans, also went unharmed. The black fabric of Damon's shirt is open more than necessary and shows some of his good-looking abs. But Stefan's are better at any rate.

Anyway, it'd be obvious to anyone that they were in the middle of a fight, even if I had not been watching them the entire time.

I finally got to Mystic Falls just a mere eighteen hours ago after a long journey from New York. I am tired, jet lagged and angry, but as usual am up to seeing a good action-packed fight.

Plus, I wanted to see Stefan before I got settled in my new house.

So I had come here, to their house, after I finalized the plans about the new house with a real estate agent that I compelled. I'd slipped into the boarding house and up the stairs without running into anyone.

And then I saw Elena's eyelashes flutter as the boys began their unusual behavior and, outraged that Elena is a vampire, began tossing each other about the place. I watched from the banister with pride and shock that they hadn't noticed me yet, when Elena stepped in and saved the day. And I just saw their entire conversation about Damon's bite, although I already knew about that.

"Would somebody tell me what she's doing here? I can't deal with her right now." Elena switches back to her usual boring self, obviously fed up with the boys being mad at her, and she turns the tension in the room to me.

"So sweet of you to notice me, Elena. Actually, I've decided to move to Mystic Falls until I get my Stefan." Better to tell them the truth than anything else right now; they won't believe the truth but they'll believe lies; that's how these three work around me.

Elena sighs and snuggles into the velvet chair opposite of where she stood a moment before.

Stefan and Damon glare up at me from the messy room. I smile down at them and wave my fingers lightly before descending down the back stairs and appearing before them.

"So you didn't kill Klaus. How disappointing." I say causally.

"How much did you hear?" Stefan demands.

Grinning devilishly, I say, "Oh, all of it actually. It was all so fun to watch. You should have seen the look on your face, Stefan, when Elena and Damon were staring at each other so lovingly earlier, before she went to you like a good little girlfriend."

"I- I'm going out. See you later." Stefan replies without much care and grabs his jacket, slamming the door lightly behind him.

"Anyone else leaving?" I jeer.

"Me." Damon says, in the process of pouring a new glass of bourbon to drown out his troubles, and then he exits the room also.

Elena and I are left.

"You going to ditch me too?" I fake pout and then crack up, laughing hard. Elena gives a short smile but quickly goes back to her thoughtless staring.

I lapse into silence also, but many thoughts run throughout my mind until she interrupts them moments later.

"Is this really happening? Am I really a vampire?" She worries, all emotions coming in full blast.

"Do you feel like you could do anything?" I ask. She nods. "Then yes, Elena, you are. Add the lack of a heartbeat and the fact that you can move like lightening to that and there you go, clear as day: you are in fact a vampire. Or, actually, you're in transition. You know about that, right?"

She bobs her head again miserably, eyes downcast with regret and sadness.

"Of course they've told you," I roll my eyes, "Well, anyways, you know that you've got to drink blood in order to really change. You could choose to die instead, you know. Though that would be much more painful and, frankly, you'd likely end up feeding before you truly died. But you could always try."

She keeps a cool mien and refuses to meet my eyes as she contemplates what I've said.

Truth be told, Elena is acting more than a little bit irrational. She truly has some weird feelings and personality traits amplified as a vampire. But surely she'll get over them in a day or so and go back to being her normally dull and annoying little self.

"Well, think about it. Oh, one more thing. Did you talk to John lately? Or even hear about him in the midst of all this chaos? You might want to check up on that." I smirk.

Getting up from my place on the couch, I follow Damon's lead and pour not only myself a glass of blood and alcohol, but also an extra, leaving it to sit on the wooden table, daring her to drink it. Without touching it, I take mine and strut to the doorway, my hand lingering on the wooden frame as I say with much malice:

"Bye, Elena."

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**Thoughts? It really motivates me to write if someone leaves a message, even if it is only criticism. I can at least change what is wrong with my writing style then. So please, please review :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Thank you so much for those wonderful reviews. Like I promised, here is another chapter. I really hope you like it. Please leave your thoughts and reactions for me to see!**

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_Previously: The brothers leave the two girls alone and Elena contemplates the situation at hand: should she feed and become a vampire, or starve herself and die? Katherine leaves her to think alone after a while, taunting her by leaving a glass of blood sitting on the coffee table. The big question: Will Elena drink the blood?_

**May 3, 2010 - Katherine's POV**

Laughing silently to myself, I shake my long curly brunette hair down from the high ponytail that it was in and strut down the hallway of the boardinghouse. That Elena, always so serious, surely surprised me with her change of personality; she had sounded like a mini-me! She had snapped those boys' emotions like twigs, messing with their minds like an evil psychotic bitch... Wonder where she picked that up from. I'll give her this: She could very well pass as me.

My heels softly thud on the carpet with each step as I advance toward my destination: Stefan. I've figured out his hiding spots over the years, where he goes when he wants to be 'broody' all alone... Oh, yes, I know every place that he would think of even going.

Glancing around before I make my exit from the Salvatore Boarding House, I realize how much the place has changed over the last few years. It used to be so welcoming and nice inside the building; now it just feels lonely.

Soon enough, I've made it to the place that I'd thought Stefan would be - and I was correct. Spying his slumped back near the edge of the water, I make my way slowly past the shack that's been there since 1864, the one that Stefan woke up in as a transitioning vampire, and I cross the large meadow, all while staring at his handsome body.

The grass squashes beneath my brand new one-of-a-kind Steve Madden high heels; I lounge carelessly against a tree and turn to Stefan, "You know, your girlfriend is taking after me nicely. It's a shame that she isn't willing to become a vampire, though. I could make her transition nice and easy."

Stefan turns to me as I speak, hurt and betrayal written clearly in his eyes, and stares at me for a long moment. He quickly turns back to the glistening water and I can practically see wheels turning in his head as he prepares to lie.

"She isn't anything like you, Katherine. She'll never be." Inside Stefan's voice, I can hear anger and sadness that I'd like to take away. But I obviously can't.

Just to anger him further, for my amusement only, I say, "Oh really? Not anything like me? Then explain that bitchy attitude back there. Why'd she immediately turn to Damon for reassurance when she stopped the two of you from fighting? Why did she cut you off when you tried to rationally explain the situation? Think about it, Stefan. She's choosing to be bitchy. It's a new way of life, so she's chose a new personality."

His eyebrows come together in confusion; he thinks I'm correct. "But... No. Elena wouldn't do that; she wouldn't destroy us that way. She has a point; you don't. She's correct in the..." He trails off incoherently and then suddenly stands upright.

"Bye, Katherine." He's gone.

What did I just do? Ugh, it's so messed up! Why can't he just realize that he loves _me_, not her?

_Oh, Stefan. Even if I die trying, I'm not going to give up on you, love._

**May 3, 2010 - Elena's POV**

"Damon?" I whisper, knocking softly on the wooden door to his room. It creaks open.

Before entering, I hesitate at the door frame, wondering whether he'd get mad at me for barging in or not.

Daring to be bold, I put a foot in the room and when Damon doesn't show up to harass me, I think that maybe something is seriously wrong and that that is why he left the room right after Stefan. Delicately putting both of my feet in front of each other and making my way across his room, I observe my surroundings with curiosity.

I've only ever been in Damon's room once before, when Rose was dying, and the atmosphere then had been so dreary and depressing that I hadn't wanted to look around, unsure of what I'd find.

But as I look now, I find that there is more than what meets the eye. If you only glanced quickly throughout the room, it would look uninhabited except for a few items lying around. It's surprising, really, that it has that brightly lighted, neat and humanly look to it. To be honest, I had imagined it to be dark as a dungeon, and, frankly, I had thought that there would be more messy piles of clothes strewn across the floor than in Jeremy's room. And that's saying something.

But if you look closer than one uncaring glance around the room, you'd really see the important little things. Like the fact that wedged in the corner of his bed frame is a small piece of paper. And if you look out of his window at the correct angle, you can see the old ruins of the Salvatore mansion from 1864. That, however, I could only pick out because I'd seen it so many times. But it still goes to show so much about Damon; that he still cares for what happened in the past. That he might silently brood over it just like Stefan. And that he may not be ready to give up Katherine like he claims he has. The only other things in the room that say it's Damon's room are the small objects lying on the dresser: the knife from when we tried to kill Elijah, the topaz necklace that Emily had used to get inside of Bonnie, a picture of Katherine, and a couple letters that date back to the 1860s or even 50s, among other things.

When it's obvious that Damon isn't in the room, I reluctantly decide to leave. It isn't nice to invade someone's privacy without permission.

However, my breath catches in my throat when I turn around, for there stands Damon, not three inches away from me.

"Boo." He grins, his ice blue eyes twinkling.

It takes me a minute to respond because of how close we are. It's intoxicating really. I didn't know Damon smelled so good... Wait, what am I thinking?

"Ha-ha," I smile sheepishly, "You scared me. Where were you? I'd thought you had gone to your room after you left the living room."

Damon raises one eyebrow and pointedly glances down at a blood bag. At least he's using that instead of the real thing now, though. "I went to go grab a couple of these... Keeps me full as well as entertained." He explains with a cocky smile as he walks past me and sits down on the bed.

I stand there and stare at him warily as he jumps onto the bed and then pats the mattress beside him, saying, "Come on. Can't say I won't bite, but why not take a risk, 'Lena?" He grins wickedly.

I roll my eyes and good-naturally sit beside him, eying his blood bag with discontent. "So. You fled the room pretty quickly when Katherine entered. And- wait, what'd you do with that glass that you poured yourself?"

"Yes, Elena, I did flee the room quickly - she's an evil, psychotic, manipulative bitch. The bourbon? Drank it with one gulp on the way out. But Elena, do not change the subject or I swear you will have me on your tail for the rest of your life. Listen to me. What was with that attitude earlier? You sounded like Katherine." Damon stares at me disapprovingly, making me turn my head away from him in shame.

"You were trying to-"

"Yes, yes, I know that we were going to almost kill each other. But we didn't. And so that isn't an excuse. Give me a real one and I might excuse that behavior."

"I don't need an excuse. You'll forgive me anyways." I harshly say, standing up to leave.

Damon suddenly grabs my wrist and yanks me back down to the mattress with him, despite my protests. His face is close to mine as he says, "Yes you do. You need an excuse all the more now. You're out of immediate danger; there isn't a reason to be a bitch now. Twelve hours ago - sure, we'd have put up with it. You know why? Because you were in danger. It might have been a necessary action. But now, I will not allow it." His voice softens with hurt as he says, "Stefan won't allow it."

Taking my leave, angry and hurt, I call over my shoulder, "The reason I came in here, Damon, wasn't to talk about my choice of personality. I just wanted to see how you were doing, see if you were okay. But now that I did, I won't be coming back again for a long while. Maybe not ever."

Before I'm about to leave, Damon calls after me, "Elena. You may want to talk to someone about feeding. You're in transition now. Don't take any risks by hanging out with your human friends, got it?"

I don't answer as I shut the wooden door, and when my back is turned a feeling of remorse and sadness overwhelms me. I begin to wish all the more that I'd stayed and helped Damon, telling him exactly why I'm behaving this way, confiding in him.

Instead, I make my way downstairs and into the parlor.

I never realized just how many antiques the boys have. My hand lingers on an ancient Greek vase, my eyes widening in awe at all of the famous paintings that surround the walls of the home - Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci - and how rare that they are. My eyes are drawn up to the great chandelier that hangs above the foyer of the home, welcoming all of the new guests to the boarding house over the centuries. It's a shame that the brothers take all of this artwork for granted. For one, I've seen Damon throwing glasses across the room in anger, as well as many other precious pieces. His fits of anger wreck the home, much to my sadness. And Stefan does the same, though I've only seen him throw softer items such as his diary across the room. It's plenty sad if you ask me.

_Click click._ The opening of the lock to the door makes me turn around slowly. I sigh in relief as I spot Stefan in the hall, silently taking his jacket and shoes off, hanging them up and putting them away.

Grinning, I make my way over to him, taking care to smile my most gorgeous and sexy smile, and I lean up onto my tippy-toes, kissing him softly and tenderly on those stunning lips of his. As always, a warm tingling makes its way down my spine, making me want more. And so the kiss deepens and I can feel Stefan forgiving me as I forgive him. My fingers slide through his short hair as we kiss, his hands around my waist. And if it weren't that we were so rudely interrupted, I'm sure we could have stayed like that forever and been perfectly content and happy.

Before I knew it, she barged in through the door, caring to make a scene that would split us apart. "So I see that you're forgiven each other. Well, I'm just going to go harass Damon like always, so I'll leave you to do the dirty." Katherine smirks and turns sharply on her three inch high heels, after flipping her hair over her shoulder, and speedily glides up the stairs to do just what she says.

I groan good-naturally as my phone rings, making me untangle myself from Stefan and receive it.

My voice is impatient as I answer, "Hello?"

"Thank God you answered!" Caroline's voice rings out loud and clear from the phone, making me blink because of her loud voice.

"Care, nothing's wrong is it?"

"You're really asking that? You just _died_, Elena! Details, I need details! Hurry up!"

I grin to Stefan, knowing that he can hear the conversation, and say, "Fine. Can you meet up tonight around seven? Your place all right? Invite Bonnie too. Girls' night. I'll explain my extracurricular activities, but you've got to dish too though. That okay?"

"Sure, whatever. I can't wait! I'll go call Bonnie right now. See you soon, 'Lena!" Caroline quickly hangs up, overjoyed at the opportunity she's getting to hear gossip straight from the source and right away, too.

Laughing, I say to Stefan, holding up my hand at the same time, "No comment."

Tonight will be one eventful night. But just how eventful, I haven't a clue yet.


End file.
